Wave-motor.



K. FousEK. M

wAvE MoToR. APPLICA-'MDN FILED SEPT. IOAISM.

1,178,394.' Patented @114,19166 3 SHEETS-SHEET l K. FQUSEK. wAvE MOTOR. l APPLICATION FILED SiEPTJO, 1914.

Patented Apr. 4, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

I y B I f K. FOUSEK.

WAVE MOTOR.

` ARPLICAHON FILED SEPT. IO. 1914. I

1,178,394. Patented' Apr. 4,1916.

3 sums-suena.

- Armen/EVS' KARL FOUSEK. F AUSTIN, TEXAS.v

WAVE-MOTOR.

1 Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 4, 1916.

Application filed September 10. 1914. Serial No. 861,059.

. Improvements in dave-Motors, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to wave motors.

An object of the present invention is to provide a wave motor which includes an apparatus installed in a wave disturbed liquid and a power converting mechanism connected thereto by flexibleelements and adapted to convert the energy received therefrom into such form that it may be conveniently utilized.

A further object is to provide a wave-actuated buffer plate in the path of motion of the waves and so mounted that it may be raised or lowered and locked at any intermediate position, all of which is under the control of the operator located at some distant point.

A further object is to provide a vertically movable carriage with an. oscillating buffer plate thereon and to connect therewith a power converting mechanism adapted to convert the oscillations of the buffer plate into a continuous and unidirectional rotation of a wheel and to incorporate in said last mentioned mechanism means whereby the buiier plate may be raised and lowered and locked in any intermediate position to thus compensate for tidal variations or other causes. j

lVith the foregoing and.other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts, and in the detail of construction'hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, can be made with` in the scope of what is claimed, without de.- parting from the spirit of theinvention.

ln the drawings accompanying this specification and forming a part thereof the preferable form ofniy invention is illustrated. in which Figure 1 is a view in perspective of theA wave actuated portions of the apparatus. Fig. 2 is a view in perspective of the mechanism which is adapted to receive power therefor and convert it into a usable form with. means for controlling 'the position of portions of the Wave actuated mechanism. Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3 3 of F ig. 2. Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line L1 4 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 5 5 of Fig. 4, and illustrating details of the buffer supporting carriage locking mechanisrn. Fig. 6 is a detail View in section of a portion of the mechanism for converting the reciprocatory motion of the ieXible element into a unidirectional rotation of a power wheel.

Referring to the drawings in which similar reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, a

pair of upright guiding posts 9 are installed in a wave disturbed` medium such as an ocean and slidably support the frame 10. A pair of bearing blocks 11 is carried by the frame and rotatably mount the oscillatory shaft 12 on which is mounted the carriage 13. The carriage includes a plurality of depending arms 14 which support at their lower extremities the heavy beam 15. A number of forwardly projecting bars 16 are carried by the beam and in connection with the strut bars 17 support in a rigid manner the buffer plate or wave striking element 18. This plate is of curvilinear contour and presents a concaved surface to the incoming waves or breakers.

The buffer plate being installed in the water it is essential to provide raising and lowering mechanism therefor which maybe operated from the shore or from some distant point, and with this in view the pulleys 19 are provided over which extend the cables 20, the same passing downward and engaging the upstanding brackets 21 of the frame 10. A locking mechanism is positioned upon the frame 10 and includes the oppositely extending bolts 22 which are mounted for sliding movement by the bearings 23 and are adapted to engage suitable notches or apen tures 24 formed in theJ guide posts, or columns 9. The adjacent extremitiesipf the iolts are provided with the rack bars 25, which are restricted to rectilinear lnotion by means of the slots 26 and guide pins 27 extending therein. A gear 28 meshes with the rack bars and is driven from the jack shaft 29 through the instrumentality of the beveled gears 30. The jack shaft is supported by the bracket 31, rigidly secured to the frame 32 arranged there 'or. A sprocket wheel 33 is also mounted upon this jack shaft and is adapted to impart motion thereto received from some distant point by the cable 34, which has the chain 35 provided therein.

The oscillating shaft 12 has the gears 36 secured thereto adapted to reciprocate the cables 37 which contain the chains 38 passing over and meshing with the sprocket gears. rlhese cables, 37, extend shoreward and are adapted to oscillate suitable sprocket gears around which they extend. The power converting and controlling mechanism which is located at some accessible point, such as the shore, includes a foundation base 39 on which are mounted the channel beams 40. These beams form a track for the table 41 which is, as illustrated in Fig. 3, provided with angle shaped recesses 42 extending in from its under surface A which receive the upper anges of the channell beams therein. Suitable anti-friction 'rollers 43 and 44 Iengage in the, channel beams and provide for the smooth travel of kthe table. ASuitable bearings 45 are carried at. opposite sides of the table and rotatably support the oscillating sprocket l' gears 46 around whichthe'power cables 37 extend,'"th'elatter being provided with suitable vchainelements 47 `which engage the sprocket kgears in question.

v The power cables are maintained in a taut and proper condition by advancing or retardingthe table which is effected by the screw 48 projecting within andv threadedly engaging' the=nut member 49carried by the table. "Thescrew is non-shiftable and rotatably secured to the post 50 Aand is provided with the gear'51 marking its outer terminal. The post 50 is adjustably mounted' upon the bracket 52, and is locked thereto by the set bolt 53 or allied means. A crank handle 54 is carried bythe post and, in connection with the gears 55 is adapted to rotate thescrew which results in the desired motion being imparted to the table.

A `power shaft 56 is mounted substantially midway between the power cables and is provided with ,the oppositely extending helical grooves 57 .which in connection with the bar 58,y reciprocated by the power cables, is adapted to rotate, continuously and in one direction the wheel 59. The shaft 57 is journaled in the upstanding posts 60 which are carried by the base plates 61 and from which also project the arms 62 between which latter the guiding rods 63 project. These guiding rods slidably engage suitable openings 64 extending4 through the bar or member 58 and' restrlct the same to a reciprocatory motion. The power cables are secured to the upstanding pins 65 upon the reciprocating member 58 and transmit motion thereto as received from the oscillations of the wave driven element. A counterbalancing effect is provided in the form of weights 66 hung upon the cables 67, the latter extending over the pulleys 68 and extending forwardly and secured to the reciprocating member 58. This provides for a substantially uniform rotation of the shaft 56 during both the forward and return strokes of the wave actuated element or buffer plate 18.

A pair of upright frames 69 are carried by the table and rotatably'support the shaft 70 which is provided with the sprocket gear 71 and actuated handle 72 thereon. The lock controlling cable 34 extends around the sprocket wheel, and lmeshes therewith by means of the chain portion 73, whereby the manual actuation of the handle 72 will result in the extension or retraction of the bolts 22 for the securement or releasing of the frame 10 allowing it to be locked in' adjusted position or raised and lowered as desired. Y

A pair of alining1 bearings 74 rotatably mount the shaft 75 upon which are positioned the pulleys 76. The raising and lowering cables 20 which extend shoreward from the wave actuated portion of the api paratus extend overl the pulleys 76 down and around the windingdrums 77 which are ixedly secured to the shaft 78. This shaft is rotatably mounted between the upstanding posts 79 and is provided at its one eX- tremity with a gear 80 meshing with whichpartly by the reflux of water and partially.

by 15 and lthecounter-balancingeffect of thel weights 66. The shaft 56 is provided with the angular grooves 5 in which the pins 86, disclosed in Fig. 6, are adapted to temporarily remain without interfering with the rotation of the shaft and prior to the actuation of the bufferplates by the waves, thus allowing the mechanism to accommodate itself to waves of different characteristics, the raising and lowering mechanism being located at some distant point allows the various adjustments to be made with safety to the operator and from a place where the results of the changes in adjustments may be readily observed and appreciated. The beam 15 being of iron and of a considerable Weight acts similar to a pendulum and extends the buffer plate into a position to receive the next inrushing wave. ,A

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim is:

l. In a wave motor, the combination of an oscillating buffer plate, a vertically adjustable carriage therefor, a support for said carriage, means for converting a reciprocatory motion into an uni-directional rotation, a. flexible element connected to and reciprocated by said buffer plate and connected to said motion converting means, flexible means engaging said carriage adapted to raise and lower the same, and a distant controlled locking mechanism carried by said carriage and co-acting with said carriage support to hold the former in adjusted elevated positions.

2. A power converting mechanismfor use in connection with wave motors comprising a shaft with oppositely extending overlapped helical grooves, a reciprocating element receiving the same therethrough andI provided with an inwardly projecting member riding within said grooves, means for limiting said reciprocating element to a rectilinear non-rotary motion, a pair of flexible elements engaging the extremities of said reciprocating member and adapted to engage and be recprocated by a Wave actuated member, and retractable means engaging said cables adjacent said reciprocating member adapted to maintain the cables in a taut condition.

3. A mechanism for controlling and receiving power from a wave actuated oscillating member comprising a slidable table, means adapted to advance and retract the same, an idle wheel carried by said table adapted to receive a flexible element thereover, a flexible element passing over said wheel and adapted to be reciprocated by said wave actuated element and maintained in a taut position by the movements of said table, and means engaging the cable receiving power therefrom and adapted to transform the same into a unidirectional rotation of a wheel.

4. A wave motor comprising a wave actuated element and a flexible member connected thereto and reciprocated thereby, va vertically adjustable support for said wave actuated element, an advanceable and retractable table, a wheel mounted thereon receiving a fiexible member therearound and maintaining the same in a taut condition, a flexible element engaging said wave element support adapted to raise and lower the same, and means carried by said table adapted t0 receive the last mentioned flexible element therearound for the manual raising and lowering of said wave actuated element.

5. A wave motor comprising a carriage, a vertical support slidably mounting the same,- awave actua-ted element carried by said carrlage, means carried by said carriage co-acting with said vertical supports adapted to lock the former in adjusted positions, a flexible element engaging said locking means adapted to release and apply the same from a distance, a flexible element engaging said carriage adapted to raise and lower the same and a manually operable winding mechanism receiving said raising and lowering element therearound for the manual adjustment of said carriage.

6. A mechanism for use in connection with oscillating wave actuated elements comprising a foundation base, tracks mounted thereon, a carriage slidably and nonshiftably mounted thereon, mechanical means for positively advancing and retracting said carriage, idle wheels, carried by said carriage, flexible elements extending around said wheels and maintained in a taut position thereby, power converting means engaging and driven by said cables and mounted upon said foundationbase, and means carried by said carriage adapted to engage the wave actuated element for the raising and lowering thereof and locking the same in intermediate adjusted positions.

7 A wave motor comprising a vertical guide, a frame slidably mounted upon the guide, elevating means operable from a distant point for raising or lowering the frame, locking means mounted upon the frame and movable therewith and controllable from a distance to release or secure the frame to the guide in the desired adjusted position, wave actuated means carried by the adjustable frame, power converting and driving mechanism remotely situated from the wave actuated means, and a self-adjusting and compensating connecting means between the wave actuated element and the power converting and driving mechanism.

KARL FOUSEK. Witnesses:

A. B. STEPHENS,

WILSON WILLIAMS. 

